Face-to-face

So there is a camera set up on the roof of a nearby building that takes pictures of the volcano every 5 seconds. We went up there this morning just as a small eruption was taking place. This evening after work I went up there alone and watched the volcano as the sun went down. I have decided to make it a nightly routine. It was awesome. The weather is perfect; high of 85, low of 60 everyday.

Kirk is hard to say.

Kirk is difficult to say for Mexicans, so I have adopted Pancho as my Mexican name. This is how every conversation goes:

Mexican: What's your name?

Me: Pancho

Mexican: laughter...What's your real name?

Me: Kirk

Mexican: What? Keyrik? Kik?

Me: No, it's Kirk.

Mexican: Ok Pancho is good.

Preliminary Rounds

Life is good. Especially in Mexico. Colima is such a chill town, or tranquilo as the locals would say. Colima sees very few tourists so there is a really nice Mexican feel to it. The city is centered around an old Catholic cathedral built several centuries ago. Actually Colima is one of the first places the Spanish colonized yet very few old buildings remain due to the large amount of earthquakes that occur in this very geologically active area.

The battle against the volcano is still in the preliminary rounds. We have not been up to the volcano yet for two reasons: 1)Our professor is out of town 2) We have been learning how to use all the equipment and how to analyze all the data in the lab. I'll let you know when we get up there, which will probably be the beginning of next week. I cannot wait.

Katharine, from Belgium (who leaves tomorrow unfortunately), has shown us all the cool spots to eat and have fun. On Friday a friend of ours, Hugo, drove us to a nearby town called Comala for lunch and a little tourism. The little town had the same layout as Colima with a catholic cathedral in the city center. All the buildings are white and the streets made of cobblestone. We ate all-you-can-eat tostadas, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and flautas. Our meal was accompanied by subpar musicians looking for tips, including a classic mariachi band with guitar, violin, cello, trumpet, etc. It was really fun. After lunch we walked through a nearby museum displaying ancient clay sculptures from the region. Some of the pieces were estimated to be thousands of years old.

Friday evening Katharine had a going-away party at our house. It was really fun and a good opportunity to meet some more locals. Brandon and I were afraid no one would speak English, but we soon found out that most of the people who came speak really well. I guess that’s why they are friends with all the foreigners that come down here. Usually volcanology students come for 3 or 4 months and there are always at least a couple students living at our house. All the Mexicans that came were way cool, most of them are in college, were very friendly, and were willing to befriend us despite our Mormon values.

Speaking of Mormons…we saw a bunch today at Church. That was fun. Everyone thought we were missionaries and kept calling us Elders. I even read out loud in Sunday school – highlight of my day. I can communicate really well actually thanks to my Portuguese and the notebook and dictionary I keep handy at all times.

This week the old students leave and another new student from Germany arrives. We will be working in the lab Monday through Thursday and then Brandon and I are going to the beach Friday and Saturday. We heard there is sweet little hostel that serves breakfast right next to the beach, so hopefully we can find it.

Life in Mexico

Round 2

Yesterday Brandon and I traveled for almost 12 hours. One stop plane ride to Guadalajara. Taxi to Bus Station. Bus to Colima, our final destination. On the bus ride we drove around the enormous volcano which we will be studying and it was degassing a little bit! The volcano is 14,000 ft in elevation. We live with 3 other students; Katharine, Kristina, and Sebastian from Belgium, Germany and Switzerland respectively. Brandon and I share a room, two twin beds and a little bathroom. Brandon is feeling a bit out of place because he has never been outside of the U.S. or Canada. It reminds me a lot of Brazil.

Last night we dropped our bags off, got some dinner at some street cafe. I had a delicious gringa and a horchata. Afterwards, we went ice skating, yes ice skating. Despite the hot and humid weather, Mexicans celebrate the winter holidays along with all the festivities and activities.

Today we started our work and are starting to find our way around town. The other students all leave town this next week. And our advisor is at a conference in Costa Rica until the end of the month...So we have to learn how to run all the equipment, perform all the duties (which are many), learn the city and learn the language in a weeks time. Don't worry though, there is a Wal-Mart.

We do a lot of laboratory work and data analysis for Nick (our advisor). We also go on field trips once a week which usually last 2-5 days on the volcano. The data analysis consists of analyzing seismic data, thermal data, remote sensing data, and image data. There are seismic receivers all over the region and we have a few permanent cameras which take pictures of the volcano every 15 seconds. Once Nick returns we will be assigned a personal project, which I am most excited about.

Round 1

Tomorrow night I hope to find myself nestled in a little home with my fellow scientists sleeping in the shadow of the Colima Volcano in Mexico. To the locals, it is called Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire). I am going with another student I know from BYU, Brandon Barth. We will be working independently on our own projects related to the volcano. Supposedly there are a few other international students already there. I do not know what my research project is yet, nor do I know much of anything about anything, but I am really excited.

I do know that Colima is on the Pacific coast. The beach is less than an hour from our house and it only costs about 15 pesos to catch a bus to the beach. I do know that there is a Starbucks in town with free wi-fi. I do know there is swimming pool close to our laboratories. I do know that a few women offer to wash our clothes for cheap once a week. I do know that Colima is a relatively peaceful place despite the mayhem that has overcome the rest of the country. I do know that the Volcano is a strata volcano and it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It last erupted explosively over 5 years ago and is currently in a lava dome building stage. Lava domes form when the lava is extruded slowly due to high viscosity. They do pose potential dangers and can cause pyroclastic (high-speed hot ash and gas) flows.

I do not know Spanish. I do know Portuguese.

SKI

Broken Ankle

Don't try this at home. Or anywhere.

The Jungle

Greg and his wife Heather, Luke and I went to Bryce Canyon National Park this weekend. On our way we stopped and did some rock climbing at a place called "The Jungle" which is located just north of Bryce. We then backpacked into a cool back country spot called Yokima Pass in Bryce Canyon National Park where we spent the night. I had some delicious kroger brand baked beans and some disgusting organic mac and cheese for dinner. It was a fun weekend.

Mountains

I have realized I like everything about mountains. I like what they are made of. I especially like them if they are volcanic. I like hiking them. I like climbing them. I like summiting them. I like camping on them. I like making fires on them. I like what I smell on them. I like learning about them. I like the Planet Earth episode about them. If someone asked me if I was a mountain or beach person, I would say mountain.